LAGOS (AFP) – Millions of Nigerians have registered to vote in next month's landmark elections, often sweating out an hours-long wait, but their reasons do not always stem from a yearning to cast ballots.
While a large number of the 73.5 million people registered are no doubt interested in seeing democracy work in a country weary of rigged elections, others say they signed up out of fear of losing government benefits.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110318/wl_africa_afp/nigeriavote
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Hundreds of Islamists stone Egypt's ElBaradei
Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei speaks to supporters in Tahrir Square on January 30, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Cairo remained in a state of flux and marchers continued to protest in the streets and defy curfew, demanding the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarek.
CAIRO - Hundreds of Islamists hurled stones at secular opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei as he went to cast his ballot in a referendum in Egypt’s capital on Saturday, an AFP reporter said.
"We don’t want you," they shouted, forcing the former UN nuclear watchdog chief to retreat to his car and leave, but not before being hit by at least one stone in the back and drenched with water.
ElBaradei is widely respected on the world stage for his work as an international diplomat, but under the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak, he came under repeated criticism for his frequent trips abroad.
He was also accused of being out of touch with the reality of Egyptian life.
ElBaradei went to vote in Saturday’s referendum on constitutional reform after returning from a speaking engagement in New Delhi sponsored by a leading Indian English-language newspaper
vancouversun.com/technology/Hundreds+Islamists+stone+Egypt+ElBaradei/4471305/story.html#ixzz1H3vdHFUw
"We don’t want you," they shouted, forcing the former UN nuclear watchdog chief to retreat to his car and leave, but not before being hit by at least one stone in the back and drenched with water.
ElBaradei is widely respected on the world stage for his work as an international diplomat, but under the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak, he came under repeated criticism for his frequent trips abroad.
He was also accused of being out of touch with the reality of Egyptian life.
ElBaradei went to vote in Saturday’s referendum on constitutional reform after returning from a speaking engagement in New Delhi sponsored by a leading Indian English-language newspaper
vancouversun.com/technology/Hundreds+Islamists+stone+Egypt+ElBaradei/4471305/story.html#ixzz1H3vdHFUw
RECYCLED MILITRICIANS MUST PASS SHARIA OR RAWLINGS TEST
By Farouk Martins Aresa
We are hearing from prominent people who are sick and tired of trying to change the culture of corruption from within, calling on Nigerians for Rawlings formula to save us. Unlike poor masses like us without clout, these are men of “timber and caliber”. May be the hungry masses or some Diaspora Nigerians targeting stones into the motherland are not that unreasonable after all. There must be something good to say about Sharia law.
Finally, the message may be getting through that their days are numbered. They smell that Igbo proverb that when an old woman hears about old bones, she feels the chills to the marrow. Some people never heed warnings until tsunami strikes. But we can be sure that a wise cripple will be gone by the time the war comes. We have begged them, gone on strike, gone to law courts; instead of listening to their conscience, they neutralize us.
Those students who were brutalized in their days, those intellectuals who were jailed, those workers fighting for their rights while mothers raised their children alone during all these struggles, only escape to come back and fight another day. But as long as they live and wherever they are, they will always be a thorn in your hedonic flesh. How can people who never made a decent living from their own sweat call others cowards?
If Nigeria has lived up to its potentials after Independence, no frivolous criticism can stick on sound reputation. As long as majority of Nigerians wallow in abject poverty where eighty percent of its citizens live below acceptable African standard, we will do the criticism ourselves before outsiders do it for us. Someone said if you want to get a Nobel Prize Award, criticize Nigeria, and foreigners will be glad to oblige you. So he did not get one because he loves Nigeria more!
If anyone is going to question our patriotism, our love and dedication to Nigeria that many died for, our blood spilled for during protests and demonstrations; no looter is qualified to label us. They are only serving their selfish interest. Most of them were on Federal, State and International scholarships in their days before they became looters and the military boys never got off welfare anyway. How dare, they question anyone?
Trying to save their neck from the guillotine, caution is ringing out from cronies who have independently since 1960 disoriented the land of farmers, herdsmen, hard labor, milk and honey into shadows of itself today. After 50 years, they still beg for time and caution so that they can die in their fat peacefully. Full belly tells the hungry to take heed. Only the masses, the dying men and women without relief or pension know the painful pinch of death.
There must be some good news to cheer about Nigeria apart from our soccer players. Though one of our scientists turned out to be a fake on cure for AIDs, other Nigerians can only do well in foreign laboratories. We had recent news about Nigerian made cars. That confirms the fact that we are only recycling old news. We are so desperate for good news; we recycle ingenuity that could have been encouraged and patronized in the right environment. Such arguments; over Awojobi's and Ezekiel Izuogu's cars, or Mubarak Abdullahi homemade helicopter from old car parts, only favor foreign made.
Since we can only distribute poverty by our status quo, Steven Fajemirokun had urged Nigerians to first create wealth before distribution. He never dreamed that Nigeria would make so much from oil revenue. People who are not afraid to achieve do not blame those who criticize them for failing to make the mark of excellence. Those who drain Nigeria of its talents want a few more years to do it as they get closer to graves so that they may have more to pass on unchallenged to their children. Looters for life!
It is not how much money we make but how we use it. Even if it is true that our per capita income is relatively low, that our foreign financial advisers do not wish us well, that they trained and educated us for unproductive ventures; those are not reasons we should pay our politicians the highest salary and allowance and travel all over the world so that they can teach us more nonsense.
We are also sick and tired of politicians lecturing us that the amount of money spent or what they learned while traveling abroad paid more dividends in terms of investments they attracted into the Country. If that is true since they have been saying it, Nigeria would have been bigger investment heaven today than United States plus China. Yet, the politicians are parroting their fathers' voice; at least failed Dubai has infrastructure.
Would they listen or care one bit now? We doubt it. We have been told that Nigerians do not trust their neighbors and would rather ally with fellow looters, no matter what. They understand our philosophy as similar to those of Republicans, that enough of us are not our brothers' keeper but we are full of dog eat dog mentality.
Since we cannot penetrate into the fortress our oppressors are hiding, we are now at a point where Nigerians are turning on one another. We kidnapped our very old and young. Our students are in cults demanding money for protection. Grandmothers and fathers are used as drug couriers. Our police make a decent living from common men and women on the streets by raiding and asking them to bail selves out.
There is no doubt that the common men and women who bear the lion share of the agony of the rot in our Country, who hardly have enough to drink or eat and believe opportunists that some Messiah will deliver us are the real heroes. They are certainly not those who cannot wait to get their biggest piece of the pie by contracts and head to foreign embassies for visa. They cannot wait to run out of the Country and squander it on frivolities and medical checkups they can easily provide in Nigeria.
Finally, the message may be getting through that their days are numbered. They smell that Igbo proverb that when an old woman hears about old bones, she feels the chills to the marrow. Some people never heed warnings until tsunami strikes. But we can be sure that a wise cripple will be gone by the time the war comes. We have begged them, gone on strike, gone to law courts; instead of listening to their conscience, they neutralize us.
Those students who were brutalized in their days, those intellectuals who were jailed, those workers fighting for their rights while mothers raised their children alone during all these struggles, only escape to come back and fight another day. But as long as they live and wherever they are, they will always be a thorn in your hedonic flesh. How can people who never made a decent living from their own sweat call others cowards?
If Nigeria has lived up to its potentials after Independence, no frivolous criticism can stick on sound reputation. As long as majority of Nigerians wallow in abject poverty where eighty percent of its citizens live below acceptable African standard, we will do the criticism ourselves before outsiders do it for us. Someone said if you want to get a Nobel Prize Award, criticize Nigeria, and foreigners will be glad to oblige you. So he did not get one because he loves Nigeria more!
If anyone is going to question our patriotism, our love and dedication to Nigeria that many died for, our blood spilled for during protests and demonstrations; no looter is qualified to label us. They are only serving their selfish interest. Most of them were on Federal, State and International scholarships in their days before they became looters and the military boys never got off welfare anyway. How dare, they question anyone?
Trying to save their neck from the guillotine, caution is ringing out from cronies who have independently since 1960 disoriented the land of farmers, herdsmen, hard labor, milk and honey into shadows of itself today. After 50 years, they still beg for time and caution so that they can die in their fat peacefully. Full belly tells the hungry to take heed. Only the masses, the dying men and women without relief or pension know the painful pinch of death.
There must be some good news to cheer about Nigeria apart from our soccer players. Though one of our scientists turned out to be a fake on cure for AIDs, other Nigerians can only do well in foreign laboratories. We had recent news about Nigerian made cars. That confirms the fact that we are only recycling old news. We are so desperate for good news; we recycle ingenuity that could have been encouraged and patronized in the right environment. Such arguments; over Awojobi's and Ezekiel Izuogu's cars, or Mubarak Abdullahi homemade helicopter from old car parts, only favor foreign made.
Since we can only distribute poverty by our status quo, Steven Fajemirokun had urged Nigerians to first create wealth before distribution. He never dreamed that Nigeria would make so much from oil revenue. People who are not afraid to achieve do not blame those who criticize them for failing to make the mark of excellence. Those who drain Nigeria of its talents want a few more years to do it as they get closer to graves so that they may have more to pass on unchallenged to their children. Looters for life!
It is not how much money we make but how we use it. Even if it is true that our per capita income is relatively low, that our foreign financial advisers do not wish us well, that they trained and educated us for unproductive ventures; those are not reasons we should pay our politicians the highest salary and allowance and travel all over the world so that they can teach us more nonsense.
We are also sick and tired of politicians lecturing us that the amount of money spent or what they learned while traveling abroad paid more dividends in terms of investments they attracted into the Country. If that is true since they have been saying it, Nigeria would have been bigger investment heaven today than United States plus China. Yet, the politicians are parroting their fathers' voice; at least failed Dubai has infrastructure.
Would they listen or care one bit now? We doubt it. We have been told that Nigerians do not trust their neighbors and would rather ally with fellow looters, no matter what. They understand our philosophy as similar to those of Republicans, that enough of us are not our brothers' keeper but we are full of dog eat dog mentality.
Since we cannot penetrate into the fortress our oppressors are hiding, we are now at a point where Nigerians are turning on one another. We kidnapped our very old and young. Our students are in cults demanding money for protection. Grandmothers and fathers are used as drug couriers. Our police make a decent living from common men and women on the streets by raiding and asking them to bail selves out.
There is no doubt that the common men and women who bear the lion share of the agony of the rot in our Country, who hardly have enough to drink or eat and believe opportunists that some Messiah will deliver us are the real heroes. They are certainly not those who cannot wait to get their biggest piece of the pie by contracts and head to foreign embassies for visa. They cannot wait to run out of the Country and squander it on frivolities and medical checkups they can easily provide in Nigeria.
modernghana.com/news/271781/1/recycled-militricians-must-pass-sharia-or-rawlings.html
Another Greek Gift from Militricians
Nigeria is a funny place, we are a funny people. Things happen in Nigeria and dreams do indeed come true. It is only in Nigeria a virtually unknown non-entity would in two weeks into a Presidential election emerge as front runner simply because some godfathers in some places anointed him. In other countries of the world you work hard to get every vote. In Nigeria, you just need to kiss up to enough few powerful men who have controlled the levers of the affairs of our nation since independence or at least after the first coup. Track record does not matter, charisma counts for nothing and intelligence is a liability rather than an asset in the minefield of Nigerian electoral politics. The sudden upsurge of electoral face time for the Sharia governor of Katsina state is nothing but a continuation of the decadence that have destroyed our nation for forty something plus years. It is a continuation of cronyism and nepotism; a continuation of decadence.
Many have lost hope in our country but some still believe in our future. Indeed, it my humble opinion that a man like Yar’Adua indeed do not represent the best face of hope for the future of Nigeria. More than anything else he represents a continuation of a culture of mediocrity; a relegation of meritocracy for expediency and the victory of manipulation over strategy. Yar’Adua is not the best Nigeria can offer moving forward; even within the party widely referred to as the nest of killers (PDP that is) it is my opinion that there are more capable persons who are equally more deserving but who are unlikely to serve the interest of the masters of Yar’Adua who have since begun their media campaign to suddenly prepare him for higher office.
Of course, at best Yar’Adua can be called a par performer amongst state governors. He is just a Greek gift like that other teacher from the North who became our President after a similar manipulation under the same man called Obasanjo back in 1979. While I am yet to decipher what OBJ has for non-charismatic teachers from the Northern part of the country, it should suffice to say that Yar’Adua’s candidacy is meant to achieve a purpose. Yes, I have heard about his scholarship to the good students of Katsina; we have also being besieged by the five hundred kilometers of road he built. But for God sake is that all he has to show for eight years? What is his plan to make Katsina a state that can earn it own wage bill beyond depending on the blood oil money from the Niger Delta? How many jobs have been created under his government? What are his vital visions that would endure in the state of Katsina beyond the aristocratic name he offers?
Nigeria is badly in need of strong leadership that is not only visionary but also pro-active: someone who will not be OBJ’s or IBB or Buhari’s boy. Someone who can understand the field of international relations and diplomacy; someone the military can respect. Someone capable of reform and who has the pedigree and charisma to achieve these end goals; we do not deserve a Mr. Shagari dressed up for the 21st century. We don’t deserve another president that will fiddle while his top military officers plan to upstage him in a palace putsch. We do not deserve a president that holds the religion of half of the country in contempt enough to foist state religion on a secular state in the process undermining the constitution he already swore to uphold. In all honesty, we do not deserve another President like Obasanjo who will sacrifice the rule of law on the altar of political expediency.
There is more to Yar’Adua’s candidacy than we are being told. At least, as at the moment the military boys control every lever of our government; the President is a product of the system, so is the head of his party. Even the head of the Presidential screening committee is a ex-service men just like his boss and I am sure this scheming that suddenly trumped up Mr. Yar’Adua in all honesty is not beyond them. Yar’Adua is a compromise candidate to continue to allow the military boys the opportunity to rape our treasury while not appearing to do so. He is just another dummy being sold to gullible Nigerians in the hope that after eight years of hunger for true democracy we would buy it, they would undermine him, and four to eight years later we would be calling out to them once again to come save us.
Is there something about this candidacy that the powers that be want to share with us? What is the status of his health? How would he manage the multi-religious conundrum of a nation that we have become given his already biased disposition on the state level? Is a name enough to buy someone the Presidency? How many more years are the people of my dear country ready to continue to journey in the wilderness of want, poverty of ideas and filthy morals while the world moves forward? Why should the lowest common denominators of our society continue to preside over our affairs while men and women that knows one or two things about leadership are satisfied hanging on the sidelines? This is a shame and the greater shame is if Nigerians buy this candidacy hook, line and sinker. While the rest of the one hundred and nineteen million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, and nine hundred and ninety nine Nigerian citizens can be fooled, I at least refused to be fooled or convinced. Save the last dance.
nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/michael-oluwagbemi/yaradua-another-greek-gift-from-militricians.html
nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/michael-oluwagbemi/yaradua-another-greek-gift-from-militricians.html
Friday, March 18, 2011
Police: Sect kills healer in restive N. Nigeria
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Nigerian police say members of a radical Muslim sect shot dead a local healer who sold them an ineffective remedy in the country's troubled northeast.
The Borno State police chief said Friday that four men on a motorbike shot Mallam Dahiru at his shrine in the city of Maiduguri on Thursday evening.
Mohammed Abubakar said Dahiru died from gunshot wounds to the head and stomach.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110318/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_violence
The Borno State police chief said Friday that four men on a motorbike shot Mallam Dahiru at his shrine in the city of Maiduguri on Thursday evening.
Mohammed Abubakar said Dahiru died from gunshot wounds to the head and stomach.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110318/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_violence
.Over 200 killed in Nigeria unrest: Amnesty
LAGOS (AFP) – More than 200 people have been killed in unrest in central Nigeria since December and most perpetrators have not been prosecuted, Amnesty International said on Friday.
"Over 200 people have been killed in communal and sectarian violence in Plateau State since 24 December 2010 ... Yet the Nigerian authorities have failed to bring suspected perpetrators to justice," the global rights watchdog said in its March report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110318/wl_africa_afp/nigeriaunrestelectionsamnesty
"Over 200 people have been killed in communal and sectarian violence in Plateau State since 24 December 2010 ... Yet the Nigerian authorities have failed to bring suspected perpetrators to justice," the global rights watchdog said in its March report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110318/wl_africa_afp/nigeriaunrestelectionsamnesty
Lost in Nigeria
Are you wondering what's going on with Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua, who is supposedly in Saudi Arabia recovering from heart surgery but hasn't been seen in two months? Don't ask the State Department, because officials there have no idea.
The Cable spoke with a State Department official working on this issue to see whether Foggy Bottom had a handle on what's going on. There's so much confusion surrounding Yar'Adua's status that the Nigerian high court last week imposed a 14-day deadline for the cabinet to vote on whether he is still capable of ruling.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/01/25/lost_in_nigeria?hidecomments=yes
The Cable spoke with a State Department official working on this issue to see whether Foggy Bottom had a handle on what's going on. There's so much confusion surrounding Yar'Adua's status that the Nigerian high court last week imposed a 14-day deadline for the cabinet to vote on whether he is still capable of ruling.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/01/25/lost_in_nigeria?hidecomments=yes
China International
China's rise is no longer just about China -- and over the past year, journalists Heriberto Araújo and Juan Pablo Cardenal, working with a team of photographers, have collected images documenting Beijing's worldwide influence in 24 countries, from logging camps in Mozambique to gold mines in Burma.
SUDAN/MOZAMBIQUE: Two farmers, one Chinese and one Sudanese, pose on a Chinese-owned family farm south of Khartoum. Chinese state-owned companies have invested billions there, and Beijing regularly shields the regime from criticism. At right, a Chinese manager poses with local workers along Xai-Xai road, in south Mozambique. Conflicts between local workers and Chinese managers erupted last year in the former Portuguese colony because of allegedly abusive labor conditions for workers at the Chinese-run construction sites.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/02/22/china_international?page=0,0
SUDAN/MOZAMBIQUE: Two farmers, one Chinese and one Sudanese, pose on a Chinese-owned family farm south of Khartoum. Chinese state-owned companies have invested billions there, and Beijing regularly shields the regime from criticism. At right, a Chinese manager poses with local workers along Xai-Xai road, in south Mozambique. Conflicts between local workers and Chinese managers erupted last year in the former Portuguese colony because of allegedly abusive labor conditions for workers at the Chinese-run construction sites.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/02/22/china_international?page=0,0
In West Africa, fears that Ivory Coast's conflict could spread
MONROVIA, Liberia — Less than an hour's flight away from the Ivory's Coast's capital of Abidjan, fears are growing that what started as a national Ivorian crisis could quickly infect the entire West African region.
Since outgoing Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo first refused to step down from office late last year, tension has consistently ratcheted up, and violence between Gbagbo and his political rival, election winner Alassane Ouattara, has only grown. In just a matter of days, the number of refugees leaving the Ivory Coast for Liberia has quadrupled from 20,000 to 80,000, and fighting -- once far in the interior of the country -- has reached the border.
"The civil conflict [in the Ivory Coast] … at times it seems like it's on the verge of war," U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Karl P. Albrecht told me yesterday. "It could be a destabilizing or unsettling influence, and in addition to all the challenges that Liberia faces," he said, noting that this is a presidential election year for the country, "now this [Ivory Coast] factor is in the mix."
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/08/in_west_africa_fears_that_ivory_coasts_conflict_could_spread
Since outgoing Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo first refused to step down from office late last year, tension has consistently ratcheted up, and violence between Gbagbo and his political rival, election winner Alassane Ouattara, has only grown. In just a matter of days, the number of refugees leaving the Ivory Coast for Liberia has quadrupled from 20,000 to 80,000, and fighting -- once far in the interior of the country -- has reached the border.
"The civil conflict [in the Ivory Coast] … at times it seems like it's on the verge of war," U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Karl P. Albrecht told me yesterday. "It could be a destabilizing or unsettling influence, and in addition to all the challenges that Liberia faces," he said, noting that this is a presidential election year for the country, "now this [Ivory Coast] factor is in the mix."
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/08/in_west_africa_fears_that_ivory_coasts_conflict_could_spread
Teodorin's World
The owner of the estate at 3620 Sweetwater Mesa Road, which sits high above Malibu, California, calls himself a prince, and he certainly lives like one. A long, tree-lined driveway runs from the estate's main gate past a motor court with fountains and down to a 15,000-square-foot mansion with eight bathrooms and an equal number of fireplaces. The grounds overlook the Pacific Ocean, complete with swimming pool, tennis court, four-hole golf course, and Hollywood stars Mel Gibson, Britney Spears, and Kelsey Grammer for neighbors.
With his short, stocky build, slicked-back hair, and Coke-bottle glasses, the prince hardly presents an image of royal elegance. But his wardrobe was picked from the racks of Versace, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana, and he spared no expense on himself, from the $30 million in cash he paid for the estate to what Senate investigators later reported were vast sums for household furnishings: $59,850 for rugs, $58,000 for a home theater, even $1,734.17 for a pair of wine glasses. When he arrived back home -- usually in the back seat of a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce or one of his other several dozen cars -- his employees were instructed to stand in a receiving line to greet the prince. And then they lined up to do the same when he left.
Inside Free Benghazi
Just a couple weeks ago, the mood in the Libyan rebel stronghold Benghazi was quite different than today. Billboards, such as this one on a highway in Benghazi, admonished foreigners to stay away and let the Libyan people -- like their brethren in Egypt and Tunisia -- complete their revolution on their own. This opinion changed during Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi's brutal counter-offensive into rebel-controlled territory in the east over the past week.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/03/18/inside_free_benghazi
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/03/18/inside_free_benghazi
European governments “completely puzzled” about U.S. position on Libya
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's meetings in Paris with the G8 foreign ministers on Monday left her European interlocutors with more questions than answers about the Obama administration's stance on intervention in Libya.
Inside the foreign ministers' meeting, a loud and contentious debate erupted about whether to move forward with stronger action to halt Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi's campaign against the Libyan rebels and the violence being perpetrated against civilians. Britain and France argued for immediate action while Germany and Russia opposed such a move, according to two European diplomats who were briefed on the meeting.
Clinton stayed out of the fray, repeating the administration's position that all options are on the table but not specifically endorsing any particular step. She also did not voice support for stronger action in the near term, such as a no-fly zone or military aid to the rebels, both diplomats said.
"The way the U.S. acted was to let the Germans and the Russians block everything, which announced for us an alignment with the Germans as far as we are concerned," one of the diplomats told The Cable.
Clinton's unwillingness to commit the United States to a specific position led many in the room to wonder exactly where the administration stood on the situation in Libya.
"Frankly we are just completely puzzled," the diplomat said. "We are wondering if this is a priority for the United States."
On the same day, Clinton had a short meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which Sarkozy pressed Clinton to come out more forcefully in favor of action in Libya. She declined Sarkozy's request, according to a government source familiar with the meeting.
Sarkozy told Clinton that "we need action now" and she responded to him, "there are difficulties," the source said, explaining that Clinton was referring to China and Russia's opposition to intervention at the United Nations. Sarkozy replied that the United States should at least try to overcome the difficulties by leading a strong push at the U.N., but Clinton simply repeated, "There are difficulties."
One diplomat, who supports stronger action in Libya, contended that the United States' lack of clarity on this issue is only strengthening those who oppose action.
"The risk we run is to look weak because we've asked him to leave and we aren't taking any action to support our rhetoric and that has consequences on the ground and in the region," said the European diplomat.
British and French frustration with the lack of international will to intervene in Libya is growing. British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday that Arab sentiment was, "if you don't show your support for the Libyan people and for democracy at this time, you are saying you will intervene only when it's about your security, but you won't help when it's about our democracy."
France sent letters on Wednesday to all the members of the U.N. Security Council, which is discussing a Lebanon-sponsored resolution to implement a no-fly zone, calling on them to support the resolution, as has been requested by the Arab League.
"Together, we can save the martyred people of Libya. It is now a matter of days, if not hours. The worst would be that the appeal of the League of the Arab States and the Security Council decisions be overruled by the force of arms," the letter stated.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe wrote on his blog, "It is not enough to proclaim, as did almost all of the major democracies that ‘Qaddafi must go.' We must give ourselves the means to effectively assist those who took up arms against his dictatorship."
In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday in Cairo, Clinton pointed to the U.N. Security Council as the proper venue for any decision to be made and she pushed back at the contention by the British and the French that the U.S. was dragging its feet.
"I don't think that is fair. I think, based on my conversations in Paris with the G-8 ministers, which, of course, included those two countries, I think we all agree that given the Arab League statement, it was time to move to the Security Council to see what was possible," Clinton said. I don't want to prejudge it because countries are still very concerned about it. And I know how anxious the British and the French and the Lebanese are, and they have taken a big step in presenting something. But we want to get something that will do what needs to be done and can be passed."
"It won't do us any good to consult, negotiate, and then have something vetoed or not have enough votes to pass it," Clinton added.
Clinton met with Libyan opposition leader Mahmoud Jibril in Paris as well, but declined to make any promises on specific actions to support the Libyan opposition.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry (D-MA) also doubled down on his call for a no-fly zone over Libya in a speech on Wednesday at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"The international community cannot simply watch from the sidelines as this quest for democracy is met with violence," he said. "The Arab League's call for a U.N. no-fly zone over Libya is an unprecedented signal that the old rules of impunity for autocratic leaders no longer stand... The world needs to respond immediately to avert a humanitarian disaster."
And Clinton's former top aide Anne-Marie Slaughter accused the Obama administration of prioritizing oil over the human rights of the people of Libya.
"U.S. is defining ‘vital strategic interest' in terms of oil and geography, not universal values. Wrong call that will come back to haunt us," she wrote on Wednesday on her Twitter page.
Inside the foreign ministers' meeting, a loud and contentious debate erupted about whether to move forward with stronger action to halt Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi's campaign against the Libyan rebels and the violence being perpetrated against civilians. Britain and France argued for immediate action while Germany and Russia opposed such a move, according to two European diplomats who were briefed on the meeting.
Clinton stayed out of the fray, repeating the administration's position that all options are on the table but not specifically endorsing any particular step. She also did not voice support for stronger action in the near term, such as a no-fly zone or military aid to the rebels, both diplomats said.
"The way the U.S. acted was to let the Germans and the Russians block everything, which announced for us an alignment with the Germans as far as we are concerned," one of the diplomats told The Cable.
Clinton's unwillingness to commit the United States to a specific position led many in the room to wonder exactly where the administration stood on the situation in Libya.
"Frankly we are just completely puzzled," the diplomat said. "We are wondering if this is a priority for the United States."
On the same day, Clinton had a short meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which Sarkozy pressed Clinton to come out more forcefully in favor of action in Libya. She declined Sarkozy's request, according to a government source familiar with the meeting.
Sarkozy told Clinton that "we need action now" and she responded to him, "there are difficulties," the source said, explaining that Clinton was referring to China and Russia's opposition to intervention at the United Nations. Sarkozy replied that the United States should at least try to overcome the difficulties by leading a strong push at the U.N., but Clinton simply repeated, "There are difficulties."
One diplomat, who supports stronger action in Libya, contended that the United States' lack of clarity on this issue is only strengthening those who oppose action.
"The risk we run is to look weak because we've asked him to leave and we aren't taking any action to support our rhetoric and that has consequences on the ground and in the region," said the European diplomat.
British and French frustration with the lack of international will to intervene in Libya is growing. British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday that Arab sentiment was, "if you don't show your support for the Libyan people and for democracy at this time, you are saying you will intervene only when it's about your security, but you won't help when it's about our democracy."
France sent letters on Wednesday to all the members of the U.N. Security Council, which is discussing a Lebanon-sponsored resolution to implement a no-fly zone, calling on them to support the resolution, as has been requested by the Arab League.
"Together, we can save the martyred people of Libya. It is now a matter of days, if not hours. The worst would be that the appeal of the League of the Arab States and the Security Council decisions be overruled by the force of arms," the letter stated.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe wrote on his blog, "It is not enough to proclaim, as did almost all of the major democracies that ‘Qaddafi must go.' We must give ourselves the means to effectively assist those who took up arms against his dictatorship."
In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday in Cairo, Clinton pointed to the U.N. Security Council as the proper venue for any decision to be made and she pushed back at the contention by the British and the French that the U.S. was dragging its feet.
"I don't think that is fair. I think, based on my conversations in Paris with the G-8 ministers, which, of course, included those two countries, I think we all agree that given the Arab League statement, it was time to move to the Security Council to see what was possible," Clinton said. I don't want to prejudge it because countries are still very concerned about it. And I know how anxious the British and the French and the Lebanese are, and they have taken a big step in presenting something. But we want to get something that will do what needs to be done and can be passed."
"It won't do us any good to consult, negotiate, and then have something vetoed or not have enough votes to pass it," Clinton added.
Clinton met with Libyan opposition leader Mahmoud Jibril in Paris as well, but declined to make any promises on specific actions to support the Libyan opposition.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry (D-MA) also doubled down on his call for a no-fly zone over Libya in a speech on Wednesday at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"The international community cannot simply watch from the sidelines as this quest for democracy is met with violence," he said. "The Arab League's call for a U.N. no-fly zone over Libya is an unprecedented signal that the old rules of impunity for autocratic leaders no longer stand... The world needs to respond immediately to avert a humanitarian disaster."
And Clinton's former top aide Anne-Marie Slaughter accused the Obama administration of prioritizing oil over the human rights of the people of Libya.
"U.S. is defining ‘vital strategic interest' in terms of oil and geography, not universal values. Wrong call that will come back to haunt us," she wrote on Wednesday on her Twitter page.
Allies Rally to Stop Gadhafi
President Barack Obama demanded Friday that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi immediately halt all attacks against civilians and withdraw his forces from several cities, vowing military action if he fails to comply with a United Nations resolution that authorized the use of "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya.
The demands came as reports of fighting on the coastal highway 30 miles from the rebel capital of Benghazi and bombardments of the city of Misrata in the west ran counter to Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa's earlier announcement of a cease-fire against those trying to overthrow the Gadhafi regime.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608504576207933347949412.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories
The demands came as reports of fighting on the coastal highway 30 miles from the rebel capital of Benghazi and bombardments of the city of Misrata in the west ran counter to Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa's earlier announcement of a cease-fire against those trying to overthrow the Gadhafi regime.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608504576207933347949412.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories
Confusion in case over looted Daily Times’ assets
A confusing dimension has been added to the case instituted against
some purported directors of the defunct Daily Times of Nigeria Plc.
Justice Charles Achibong of the Federal High Court, Lagos last week acted unusually when he gave a judgment, quashing a charge pending against the said directors before another judge, Justice Pat Ajoku, of the same court.
The directors include Fidelis Anosike, his brother, Noel, their associates: Nicholas Okoye and Gogo Kurubo and their company, Folio Communications Limited.
The Federal Government had last year, upon realising that the Anoskes and others were allegedly involved in the unlawful sale of some Daily Times’ assets estimated at about N3billion, filed the charge in July. It was later assigned to Justice Ajoku for trial. This was shortly after Justice Okechukwu Okeke, also of the Federal High Court, Lagos, voided the sale of its majority stake in Daily Times to Folio, holding that the process of sale was illegitimate.
The task before NJC’s five ‘wise men’
ERIC IKHILAE and JOSEPH JIBUEZE
It is a hard nut. But no matter how hard the nut is, these five ‘wise men’ must crack it. Last week, the National Judicial Council (NJC) raised a five-man panel to probe the allegations of the President of Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Isa Ayo Salami, against the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu.
They will also look into the petition against Justice Salami and the Court of Appeal panel that adjudicated on the Ekiti and Osun states’ governorship election petition.
http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/law/30737.html
http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/law/30737.html
Niger Delta Ministry builds skill acquisition centre
EFFORTS by the present administration to resolve some of the problems in the Niger Delta are yielding fruit. A large skill acquisition centre is springing up in Ikot Nakanda, Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State. When completed, it will absorb several youths from the state and give them a new lease of life through skills. The centre is being built by the Niger Delta Ministry, created by the administration of the late President Umaru Uar’Adua and sustained by President Goodluck Jonathan. The ministry is meant to fast-track development in the area.
Another developmental effort is the Amnesty Programme of the Federal Government. It has helped to get thousands of Niger Delta youths to lay down their arms, drastically reduce militancy, loss of life and destruction of property in the area. Many ex-militants are being rehabilitated in Obubra in Cross River State.
S’Court Affirms Rivers Owners Of 86 Oil Wells .
THE Supreme Court yesterday declared Rivers State as the lawful owner of the 86 oil wells under dispute with Akwa Ibom State, following a political solution used by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to settle the matter between the two states in 2006.
The then governors Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State and Peter Odili of Rivers State endorsed the political formula.
But Attah’s successor, Governor Godswill Akpabio faulted the tripartite arrangement, resulting in the National Boundary Commission returning the oil wells to his state.
Odili’s successor, Governor Rotimi Amaechi challenged the action at the Federal High Court and lost, and approached the apex court for redress.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42088:scourt-affirms-rivers-owners-of-86-oil-wells&catid=1:national&Itemid=559
The then governors Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State and Peter Odili of Rivers State endorsed the political formula.
But Attah’s successor, Governor Godswill Akpabio faulted the tripartite arrangement, resulting in the National Boundary Commission returning the oil wells to his state.
Odili’s successor, Governor Rotimi Amaechi challenged the action at the Federal High Court and lost, and approached the apex court for redress.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42088:scourt-affirms-rivers-owners-of-86-oil-wells&catid=1:national&Itemid=559
How we’ll stop rigging – Jega
How we’ll stop rigging – Jega
Mar 19, 2011Independent observers to track election results- Jega
*22 persons facing trial for electoral offences
*stop swearing in of election winners with cases in tribunals – communiqué
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Austin Ogwuda and Evelyn Usman
CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega has unveiled revolutionary measures to allow free conduct and flow of election results in the April elections.
Already 22 persons, including electoral officials, are currently facing trial for offences committed during the January governorship re-run elections in Delta State, according to Prof. Jega at the just concluded National conference on Partnering the Police for free, fair and credible 2011 elections facilitated by Vanguard Newspapers, in Asaba.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/how-we%e2%80%99ll-stop-rigging-jega/
*22 persons facing trial for electoral offences
*stop swearing in of election winners with cases in tribunals – communiqué
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Austin Ogwuda and Evelyn Usman
CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega has unveiled revolutionary measures to allow free conduct and flow of election results in the April elections.
Already 22 persons, including electoral officials, are currently facing trial for offences committed during the January governorship re-run elections in Delta State, according to Prof. Jega at the just concluded National conference on Partnering the Police for free, fair and credible 2011 elections facilitated by Vanguard Newspapers, in Asaba.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/how-we%e2%80%99ll-stop-rigging-jega/
Artistes gather for Jonathan
Artistes gather for Jonathan
Mar 19, 2011As part of activities lined up to help drum support for Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential ambition at the April polls, several Nigerian leading entertainers under the aegis of Artistes United For Jonathan will be hosting a special dinner for him.
The anticipated evening of undiluted entertainment, social networking and relaxation with Mr. President, holds this Sunday, March 20, at the upscale Harbour Point Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos amid applause and tight security.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/artistes-gather-for-jonathan/
Jonathan
The anticipated evening of undiluted entertainment, social networking and relaxation with Mr. President, holds this Sunday, March 20, at the upscale Harbour Point Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos amid applause and tight security.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/artistes-gather-for-jonathan/
With GIS, information on lands is now at your fingertips
By Adekunle Adekoya
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/with-gis-information-on-lands-is-now-at-your-fingertips/
EARLIER this month, the Lagos State Government launched the Lagos Geographic Information System (GIS). For ordinary citizens, individual or corporate, who have had any experience regarding acquisition of property in Lagos, it must be a major step forward considering what one goes through in the hands of the famed omo-oniles (land-owning families), and the relief that a GIS is bound to bring. Last week, Mr Monsurudeen Olawale Durowoju, a surveyor who is Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Digital Mapping and the GIS Project spoke to CyberLIFE on the IT efforts made to put the GIS in place. Excerpts:
What efforts went into making the GIS a reality?http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/with-gis-information-on-lands-is-now-at-your-fingertips/
The truth about Niger Delta is yet to be unraveled – Billy Harry
By Ishola Balogun
Billy Harry, Chairman, South-South Forum; National Vice President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA; Chairman, National Oil and Gas Trade Group and Chairman of the Port-Harcourt Chamber of Commerce in this interview, speaks on the region’s support for President Jonathan, the unresolved Niger Delta issue saying that the truth about militancy and Amnesty in the region is yet to be unravelled. . Excerpt.
On South-South support for Jonathan
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/the-truth-about-niger-delta-is-yet-to-be-unraveled-billy-harry/
Billy Harry, Chairman, South-South Forum; National Vice President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA; Chairman, National Oil and Gas Trade Group and Chairman of the Port-Harcourt Chamber of Commerce in this interview, speaks on the region’s support for President Jonathan, the unresolved Niger Delta issue saying that the truth about militancy and Amnesty in the region is yet to be unravelled. . Excerpt.
On South-South support for Jonathan
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/the-truth-about-niger-delta-is-yet-to-be-unraveled-billy-harry/
18 dead over power tussle in Delta community
Mar 19, 2011
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
AT about 2.40 pm, December 25, last year, a talented 47 –year-old assistant director and coach with the Delta State Sports Council, Asaba, Delta State, Mr. Solomon Ogbogbo, who took a trip to his home town, Irri in Isoko South Local Government Area for the Christmas celebration, was shot dead by a “killer gang”.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/18-dead-over-power-tussle-in-delta-community/
AT about 2.40 pm, December 25, last year, a talented 47 –year-old assistant director and coach with the Delta State Sports Council, Asaba, Delta State, Mr. Solomon Ogbogbo, who took a trip to his home town, Irri in Isoko South Local Government Area for the Christmas celebration, was shot dead by a “killer gang”.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/18-dead-over-power-tussle-in-delta-community/
Armed men attack Mark’s campaign train
Armed men attack Mark’s campaign train
News Mar 19, 2011Armed political thugs of an opposition party in Benue State yesterday fire on the convoy of Senate President, Chief David Mark while on a campaign tour of Igumale in Benue State.
Mark was proceeding to Igumale from Utonkon village in continuation of his campaigns when the armed thugs emerged from a nearby bush and started shooting sporadically.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/armed-men-attack-mark%e2%80%99s-campaign-train/
Mark was proceeding to Igumale from Utonkon village in continuation of his campaigns when the armed thugs emerged from a nearby bush and started shooting sporadically.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/armed-men-attack-mark%e2%80%99s-campaign-train/
PDP leaders want Edo murder probed
BENIN CITY – THE leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state, yesterday, paid a condolence visit to the families of those who were killed by thugs along Lagos Street Tuesday and warned that this was another “murder that must not be swept under the carpet”.
The state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who led the team to the residence of Chief Arala Osula, where the mayhem was perpetrated, lamented that “this loss is not just for the family but for the people of Edo state because we are all pained with the incident.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/pdp-leaders-want-edo-murder-probed/
The state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who led the team to the residence of Chief Arala Osula, where the mayhem was perpetrated, lamented that “this loss is not just for the family but for the people of Edo state because we are all pained with the incident.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/pdp-leaders-want-edo-murder-probed/
Hullabaloo over MEND’s fresh hostilities
Hullabaloo over MEND’s fresh hostilities
News Mar 19, 2011By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
MEND, dead or alive
WITH the twin detention and ongoing trials of Henry Okah in South Africa and his brother, Charles Okah in Nigeria and the earlier orchestrated delisting from the Movement from the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, of its top leaders like Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, Ateke Tom, “General” Boyloaf, Shoot At Sight and others, the general belief was that the militant group had become a toothless bulldog.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/hullabaloo-over-mend%e2%80%99s-fresh-hostilities/
MEND, dead or alive
WITH the twin detention and ongoing trials of Henry Okah in South Africa and his brother, Charles Okah in Nigeria and the earlier orchestrated delisting from the Movement from the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, of its top leaders like Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, Ateke Tom, “General” Boyloaf, Shoot At Sight and others, the general belief was that the militant group had become a toothless bulldog.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/hullabaloo-over-mend%e2%80%99s-fresh-hostilities/
Court Restores Bauchi North Senate Seat Ticket
A Federal High Court in Bauchi has restrained the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from substituting Hon. Farouk Mustapha with Alhaji Abdulmalik Mahmoud for Bauchi North senatorial election in next month general elections pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Mustapha who is a serving House of Representatives member named the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), INEC and Alhaji Abdulmakil Mahmoud as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants in suit he filed challenging his substitution with the former deputy governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Abdulmalik Mahmoud.
Nigerians Enjoined To Patronise Home-Made Autos
The federal government has called on Nigerians both in the private and public sectors to patronise locally manufactured automobiles as part of efforts aimed at promoting made-in Nigeria products.
Speaking at the just concluded 4th National Council on Commerce and Industry in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the minister of commerce and industry, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, said the automotive industry has a unique capacity for mass employment and technological development.
Martins-Kuye, who was represented by the minister of state for commerce and industry, Ms. Josephine Tapgun, reminded the council that successful campaign for patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods would have multiplier Effects on all sectors of the economy with particular reference to automotive sector that requires much attention of the government and organised private sector.
NASS, Sanusi and the Fiscal Discipline In Governance
The National Assembly is repositioning, so it seems. The NASS members have announced that they would lead a campaign to enthrone fiscal discipline in governance.
To start with, the Senate President David Mark told Nigerians that the National Assembly would cut its recurrent expenditure and would want other arms of government to make similar sacrifice. Was it a direct response to the Sanusi’s hurricane which blew open their outrageious spending? UCHENNA AWOM in this analysis x-rays the NASS offer and asks how real it is. Equally, would other arms of government do likewise?
MEND Attack: FG Gives SSS, Police Ultimatum
Security chiefs in crucial meeting over polls || The presidency yesterday tasked officers and men of the State Security Service (SSS) as well as the police over the renewed threat to national security by supposed members of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND). The two security agencies were also charged to fish out those responsible for the bombing of Agip oil facility within seven days.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Qaddafi Forces Attack Rebel Stronghold in West
TRIPOLI, Libya — A day after routing a ragtag army in an eastern town near the rebel capital of Benghazi, forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi launched attacks Wednesday on the city of Misurata, the last rebel stronghold in western Libya
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/world/africa/17libya.html?_r=1&hp
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/world/africa/17libya.html?_r=1&hp
Jonathan Signs New Minimum Wage Act
> Inflation rate declines by 11.1%
Henceforth, employers of labour in both public and private establishments in Nigeria are expected to pay N18,000 as minimum wage to their workers. Reason: President Goodluck Jonathan has signed the N18,000 National Minimum Wage into law.The new wage law states that once an employer in the public or private sector has a workforce of about 50 persons, he or she is bound by the law to pay a minimum wage of N18,000.
Henceforth, employers of labour in both public and private establishments in Nigeria are expected to pay N18,000 as minimum wage to their workers. Reason: President Goodluck Jonathan has signed the N18,000 National Minimum Wage into law.The new wage law states that once an employer in the public or private sector has a workforce of about 50 persons, he or she is bound by the law to pay a minimum wage of N18,000.
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